The Beauty Underneath
by Stormcloudishone
Summary: Harry's been watching Malfoy a little more closely than usual lately...
1. Chapter 1

_(Random drabble is random. I was inspired suddenly in the midst of my emo-moping. Between my mother and my job and my stupid college mucking around about my financial aid for next semester and my muse's displeasure at the drop in reviews for this past chapter of _You and Me_, my mood has sucked lately. So maybe sitting back and letting the dark side of my muse run rampant for a bit will help.  
>This isn't overly compliant with the books, aside from the obvious. My muse wasn't being specific with me for some reason, but I'm assuming it's sixth year, maybe fifth. Just bear with me in my raging Dark!Muse, it's a whiny bitch demanding attention. This is probably going to turn into PWP.<br>Inspired by: 'The Beauty Underneath' from Love Never Dies, by Andrew Lloyd Webber)_

Draco Malfoy had always been an unbearable prat.

Ever since his offer of friendship had been denied in their first year, they had become enemies. The Slytherin Prince had never been capable of much, however. His best weapon had always been his sharp, silver tongue. Biting words were his preference, allowing the physical punishment to be dealt by his cronies, which seemed to consist of the entire Slytherin house at times.

Then again, he wasn't the Slytherin Prince for nothing.

Harry braced his palm on his hand, elbow on the table. Across from him, Ron shoveled eggs into his mouth while Hermione chided him on his manners. Harry held back a grin and watched them, wondering how much longer they were going to dance around each other before they admitted their feelings to one another.

Just behind them, Harry caught sight of the familiar smirking blonde at the Slytherin table and his eminent grin became a scowl. His own eyes widened behind his glasses when a wink was sent his way. Malfoy looked away before he could assess just what he meant by the gesture, watching as he muttered something to the dark-skinned Zabini at his side, his smirk curving a bit more strongly at the reply. Under Harry's watchful eye, he leaned forward slightly and brushed elegant fingers over the taller boy's tie, straightening it slightly for him.

Zabini leaned a little closer, still murmuring. On Malfoy's other side, Pansy Parkinson scooted in to join the conversation, resting her chin on the blonde's shoulder. Malfoy gave her a careless nudge to loosen her hold on him, softening the rejection by tilting his head in her direction, giving her the attention she had been seeking. Harry's mouth went a little dry at the thought of being the sole recipient of similar attention.

A nearby snort shook Harry from his staring. "Bloody hell, Slytherin looks like one big orgy," muttered Ron, having noticed where Harry was staring. He didn't seem to be suffering the same effects of watching Malfoy's careless grace, however. He merely looked disgusted. Harry swallowed and forced himself to keep from looking up again. Bad enough he was figuring out that he liked blokes without developing some kind of fixation on Malfoy, of all people. There were dozens upon dozens of other attractive students of both genders, in any of the other Houses. Slytherin was dangerous, and their Prince the most dangerous of all.

When Harry chanced another glance up, he realized Malfoy was staring at him once again. The dark emotion lurking in his eyes quickly had Harry ducking his head to finish his breakfast. Ridiculous. Of all people, ridiculous to think of Malfoy that way. They hated each other too much to ever do anything like… that.

Nevermind that the git was beautiful, so darkly beautiful.

_(Time skip)_

He supposed he was asking too much to manage to avoid Malfoy for the rest of the day. The crush of students between classes was enough to separate him from the others. Ron was probably heading for the Common Room to enjoy their free period while Hermione rushed on to one of her many classes she had that they didn't. So when a thick hand locked onto his robes and dragged him out of the main corridor, he reflected briefly that it wasn't that much of a surprise now that he was alone for once, making him a target.

His back hit the wall roughly and he found himself, predictably, face to face with the smirking Malfoy and his usual thugs, Crabbe and Goyle. "Go watch the hall," Malfoy instructed coolly, and the two trudged off without questioning, ever obedient to their Prince. "Saw you staring at me at breakfast, Potter."

Harry crossed his arms, telling himself that it wasn't at all defensive. "Well, you tend to be the biggest git in the room. It's hard not to stare." Malfoy arched a brow, clearly not buying into his insult for once. He merely smirked and took a step closer, watching as Harry flattened his back against the wall and then mentally cursed himself for the retreat, however slight.

"Are you sure that's all it was, Potter?" Pale fingers brushed back a lock of hair from his eyes, his smirk growing as Harry's eyes unconsciously followed the movement. "Not feeling a little… jealous of the attention I was paying Zabini and Parkinson?" He took another step forward, closing the distance between them slowly.

"Ron made a good point about Slytherin being one big orgy," sniped Harry, forcing himself to ignore the quiver in his stomach. Merlin, he was just so bloody gorgeous in that dark, untouchable way. Malfoy continued to stare at him, making his nerves jangle anxiously. But that was ridiculous, since Malfoy could hardly read his mind…

"That doesn't answer my question, Potter," said Malfoy smoothly, taking the final step to put them face to face. Harry was irked to realize that the blonde had an inch or two on him, making him just tall enough that he had to look up ever so slightly to see his face in this position.

Harry realized he didn't quite remember what the question had been. He was just intent on doing everything he could to get away before Malfoy could figure out his secret. Then again, based on his behavior, it seemed as though he might already know, which was ridiculous, since Harry hadn't even done anything to give himself away!

Harry froze as those graceful fingers traced his jawline and up his cheek, curving so that his face was being cupped in the blonde's palm. His breath caught in his throat as his short nails grazed his skin teasingly. Malfoy's eyes lit with emotion as he gauged his reaction. "You want me," he murmured, leaning close, so close. Harry's eyelids started to flutter, threatening to close at the prospect of the blonde finishing out the move and kissing him blind.

To his disappointment, his lips briefly grazed the corner of his mouth before lifting away. Harry quickly shoved him back defensively, rubbing his thumb at his mouth as if to wipe away the sensation. Malfoy's ever-present smirk remained even as he stumbled a bit, apparently having gotten what he wanted from the encounter. "See you later, Potter." He whipped around and headed for the main corridor, which was now empty. "Crabbe, Goyle," he snapped, and they both leapt to attention, ready to follow. Malfoy paused, glancing back at the brunette still hiding in the shadows of the side hall, and winked at him suggestively before continuing on.

Harry rubbed his hand over his mouth again and frowned. Well, hell.

_(Time skip)_

Whatever madness it was that gripped him, it kept him awake well into the night, leaving him to stare at the red velvet canopy of his bed and wonder. What was Malfoy after, teasing him like that this afternoon? Was it some sort of complex plot to completely humiliate him? Or was it possible…? Mind whirling, Harry slipped out of bed and pulled the Marauder's Map from its hiding place, unfolding it to quickly skim the many halls of Hogwarts for some sign of the blonde. He spotted the pacing steps of Draco Malfoy in the halls, surprisingly. He watched as the dot traveled for a short while and then suddenly vanished. Surprised, he peered more closely at the map, but could only confirm that the blonde had indeed disappeared.

Realization struck, and Harry shot to his feet. He quickly tugged on his invisibility cloak and made a run for it, hoping to catch Malfoy before he left the Room of Requirement. The door was there, waiting for him, and he grabbed the handle hopefully and tugged. It opened immediately, easing quietly open at his touch.

Harry stepped cautiously into the room, letting the door swing shut behind him. The door immediately began to shrink behind him, locking him in. Harry frowned, but swung around, searching the room. A fire crackled in the hearth, illuminating a large bed with dark, expensive-looking sheets and a bounty of pillows. The carpet under his feet was soft, and candles flickered on the other side of the room. Harry's breath caught as he spotted Malfoy in the light of the dancing flames, barely illuminated by the smaller flickering lights.

The blonde took a step forward, and Harry swallowed. He wasn't wearing his usual school robes. Instead, he wore something shimmering and black. He looked perfect, like some sort of incubus slipping out of the night itself to seduce him. "I wasn't sure you'd show up, Potter," he murmured, pausing halfway across the room, his face caught in writhing shadows. "Then again, you have your ways of showing up at the right place in the right time." His gaze flicked to the cloak at his side and then back to his face.

"What's your game, Malfoy?" asked Harry, tightening his grip on the cloak as his other hand went for his wand.

"My game?" The blonde chuckled. "I would have thought it was obvious, but apparently you're thicker than I realized." At Harry's confused – and hopeful – glance, Malfoy elaborated, "I _fancy_ you, you oblivious git."

Harry swallowed hard. "Really?"

Malfoy smirked, and the shadows deepened on his features. He looked dark and twisted, but there was such beauty underneath it that he couldn't bear to look away. "Really. In fact…" He began to move toward Harry, slowly closing the space between them, looking like a panther smoothly stalking its prey. His attire even managed to fit the image in his head. The accompanying image of him following through and pouncing sent a throb of lust right to the core of Harry's being. "I think I'll show you how much. Right now."

_(Fail drabble is fail. There will be more to this as my Dark!Muse persists. As I said, ignore its bitching. It's being decidedly feminine and needy lately. Reviews are appreciated, but be gentle. *hides*)_


	2. Chapter 2

_(Look, I'm back! Bitchy!Muse has returned because of a certain person in my life with whom I am extremely angry at the moment. Rather than strangling said person and having to deal with the consequences of such an act, I'm going to purge a bit more raw emotion here. This is still inspired by 'The Beauty Underneath, from Love Never Dies by Andrew Lloyd Webber, but also by the first part of 'Beautiful', same composer, same musical. I recommend listening to it as you read, since I have it playing on repeat as I write, lol.)_

Harry awoke with a start, blinking rapidly. He was still in his room, snug under his Gryffindor-colored blankets, staring up at his red velvet canopy in the bright moonlight shining through the partially-uncovered window.

He suppressed a groan as he realized that he had dreamed up the midnight encounter with the sexy blonde Slytherin, closing his eyes to revisit the haunting images. Malfoy, dressed for seduction, stalking toward him across the darkened, fire-lit Room of Requirement. The flames throwing dancing shadows that seemed to accent the pale, beautiful skin revealed as he shrugged out of his shimmering black robe and bared himself to the fierce green gaze. Reaching toward him…

A hunger was now rumbling in his belly that had nothing to do with food. Harry picked up his head and thumped it back down on his pillow, realizing that his ridiculous fantasies were having a predictable reaction on his person. Sitting up slightly, he tried to ignore the throbbing lust coursing through him and fumbled for his glasses on the bedside table, casting a Tempus spell to check the time. It was a few hours before dawn. Still plenty of time to wallow in the images created by his impossible imagination, however wrong he was willing to admit that they might be.

_Come along and follow us…_

Harry sat up a bit straighter, glancing around, searching for the source of the song-like words. He was sure that he had heard a voice, but he seemed to be the only one of his fellow Gryffindors awake at such an unreasonable hour. So it clearly wasn't coming from anyone in the room with him. Which meant… It was coming from inside his own head.

_Come and follow faster._

Harry slid out of bed, curious, and cast a glance at Ron where he lay snoring in bed before grabbing up his invisibility cloak and moving toward the door. He knew it was ridiculous to be following voices in his head, especially knowing that Voldemort had ways of controlling his thoughts at times, but his scar wasn't hurting at all, so he doubted seriously that whatever this was had anything to do with the Dark Lord. That didn't mean it wasn't still possibly dangerous… but that was what his wand was for. He was hardly going to sleep much more that night, regardless, so it wouldn't hurt to do a bit of exploring to get some peace of mind.

_Come along and follow us…_

Harry left Gryffindor Tower safely hidden beneath his cloak and followed the voices through the long and twisted halls, realizing that he could see _something_ moving in the shadows that danced across the walls in the patches of moonlight. It was like the shadows themselves were _alive._ As he continued to walk, following the ghostly melody, he realized that it was these shadows that he was following, their sing-song chanting the words that he had thought were in his head.

_Come and meet the master._

He realized where they were leading him when he saw the looming door of the Room of Requirement, and he hung back, hesitating. The whole thing was eerily reminiscent of his earlier dream, in a way, and he wasn't sure that he wanted anything to do with whatever these shadows were if they were supposed to be bringing him to Draco Malfoy. Sexy or not, he was still a git, and very likely a Death Eater, or he would be soon. It wouldn't be wise to get involved with him in any way, or to trust him all alone like this in the dead of night. Merlin, being led to him by eerie, singing shadows!

_Hurry up and follow us…_

The shadows that had led him seemed to sense his indecision, flowing back toward him along the walls, flitting around him. He realized there were three, one on either wall and one on the floor, guiding him toward his intended destination. It… it would be foolish to turn back at this point, he had to admit. He was almost there, mere footsteps from the door, and this time he knew he was awake, no longer trapped in unlikely dreams. He could get to the bottom of this, no matter who was in that room, and then get back to bed.

_Hurry if you care to._

Harry resumed walking slowly toward the door, delighting his guiding shadows. They danced and bobbed around him, racing toward the door and then back to him, like eager puppies leading to their beloved owner. Harry was almost amused by their excitement, if he weren't so worried to see just who their 'master' was.

_Soon the dark will swallow us…_

Harry closed his hand around the door knob, glancing back at the shadows. They flickered again, right at his heels, and he knew, somehow, that if they had faces, they would be smiling at him widely, urging him ever onward.

_Follow if you dare to._

Harry pushed open the door and stepped inside.

_(And… this is where my muse cuts off. Short drabble chapter is incredibly short. I'm disappointed in it, almost, but my muse insists that this is the next chapter. It's probably just trying to prolong our time before it earns us another M rating. For shame, Dark!muse. Anyway, review please, lovely readers, even if this just an emotion-purging drabble fic. If it makes you feel any better, I'm halfway through with the next chapter of You and Me. ^^ This purging thing seems to be helping. The italicized lyrics are not mine, nor are they JK Rowling's. They belong to Mr. Webber.)_


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